Thursday, January 8, 2009

Harmony Pointe Phase II CompletedImproved Example of The Marsh Series

We recently completed Phase II of Harmony Pointe, The Marsh Course. It is significantly better and shows the thoughtful use of space, use of different turfs, visual impact of coquina, and the addition of 6 new tees for a total of 13 tees. Of course, shots can be hit from anywhere on the turf fairways.

This phase added an additional 2,200 sq ft. of a variety of SofGrass turfs, including:

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“Turfing” one of the driveways, adding 66’ in length and 15’ in width with SuperLawn 65. This was done to both show a fairway effect, but also to showcase what lawn replacement would look like using the evergreen color turf. It requires no water or mowing and looks perfect everyday.

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Inserting a strip 3’ wide of SofGrass Play down the middle of the turfed driveway to enhance the fairway look. Since it has a lower pile height than SuperLawn 65, it gives a great effect.

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Adding two elevated 5’ X 5’ Fairway Mat fixed tees and lengthening the sand trap next to the fairway by 20’.

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Replacing Rye Blend product in areas where the slopes coming off the green were the more severe with the premium product, SuperLawn 65. The plusher product will work better in those areas.

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Along the water, between the pool and the seawall, adding 450 sq ft of SofGrass Play with two fixed tees and one portable tee.

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Replacing existing mulch around the pool and waterfront with coquina.

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Covering the drainage retention area and walkway to the smaller green on The Pointe with coquina.

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Continued replanting native Spartina grasses in the wetlands to regain the native look.

The additions show what homeowners can do to improve their yard’s appearance as well as demonstrating what golfers can do to add interesting shots to their greens.

Here are the yardages I shot with a laser to each pin location on both greens from all tee positions. Since these greens are encased in 3’ concrete walls for storm surge as Harmony Pointe is on the edge of the Gulf, the phrase “to front” means to the front wall, just as it would be at #17, the island green at TPC at Sawgrass. The shots from the Private Rd to the large green are most interesting as the greens are fronted and backed by water…you are on the green or you re-tee. And any shot to the small green is the same…you are on, or you are hitting 3.

The coquina is stunning. When I mentioned it to Terry LaGree, the architect, he reminded me it was in his original design, which I had deviated from.

Harmony Pointe Yardages

Tee #1

Tee under Porch to large green

18 yds to front

Pin position #1:

not in play

Pin position #2:

not in play

Pin position #3:

not in play

Pin position #4:

37 yds

Pin position #5:

30 yds

Pin position #6:

26 yds

Pin position #7:

21 yds

Tee # 2:

Tee at entrance to dock to large green

11 yds to front

Pin position #1:

not in play

Pin position #2:

not in play

Pin position #3:

28 yds

Pin position #4:

30 yds

Pin position #5:

23 yds

Pin position #6:

19 yds

Pin position #7:

14 yds

Tee # 3:

Tee by corner of pool to large green

6 yds to front

Pin position #1:

16 yds

Pin position #2:

20 yds

Pin position #3:

23 yds

Pin position #4:

25 yds

Pin position #5:

18 yds

Pin position #6:

14 yds

Pin position #7:

9 yds

Tee #4:

Mid Tee to small green

25 yds to front

Pin position #1:

27 yds

Pin position #2:

30 yds

Pin position #3:

33 yds

Tee #4:

Portable tee past mid tee to small green

12 yds to front

Pin position #1:

14 yds

Pin position #2:

17 yds

Pin position #3:

20 yds

Tee #5:

Portable tee past mid tee to large green

26 yds to front

Pin position #1:

42 yds

Pin position #2:

35 yds

Pin position #3:

33 yds

Pin position #4:

29 yds

Pin position #5:

35 yds

Pin position #6:

38 yds

Pin position #7:

42 yds

Tee #6:

Back of small green to large green

47 yds to front

Pin position #1:

58 yds

Pin position #2:

51 yds

Pin position #3:

49 yds

Pin position #4:

51 yds

Pin position #5:

55 yds

Pin position #6:

58 yds

Pin position #7:

62 yds

Tee #7:

Mid Tee to large green

13 yds to front

Pin position #1:

29 yds

Pin position #2:

22 yds

Pin position #3:

20 yds

Pin position #4:

16 yds

Pin position #5:

22 yds

Pin position #6:

25 yds

Pin position #7:

29 yds

Tee #8:

Driveway Tee #1

18 yds to front

Pin position #1:

21 yds

Pin position #2:

27 yds

Pin position #3:

32 yds

Pin position #4:

36 yds

Pin position #5:

30 yds

Pin position #6:

27 yds

Pin position #7:

25 yds

Tee #9:

Driveway Tee #2

25 yds to front

Pin position #1:

28 yds

Pin position #2:

34 yds

Pin position #3:

39 yds

Pin position #4:

43 yds

Pin position #5:

37 yds

Pin position #6:

35 yds

Pin position #7:

32 yds

Tee #10:

Tee around corner of driveway to large green

50 yds to front

Pin position #1:

53 yds

Pin position #2:

60 yds

Pin position #3:

63 yds

Pin position #4:

66 yds

Pin position #5:

63 yds

Pin position #6:

61 yds

Pin position #7:

58 yds

Tee #11:

Private Rd Tee #1

58 yds to front

Pin position #1:

59 yds

Pin position #2:

59 yds

Pin position #3:

64 yds

Pin position #4:

68 yds

Pin position #5:

68 yds

Pin position #6:

67 yds

Pin position #7:

67 yds

Tee #12:

Private Rd Tee #2

67 yds to front

Pin position #1:

70 yds

Pin position #2:

68 yds

Pin position #3:

70 yds

Pin position #4:

72 yds

Pin position #5:

75 yds

Pin position #6:

76 yds

Pin position #7:

77 yds

Tee #13:

Private Rd Tee #3

76 yds to front

Pin position #1:

77 yds

Pin position #2:

75 yds

Pin position #3:

77 yds

Pin position #4:

79 yds

Pin position #5:

82 yds

Pin position #6:

83 yds

Pin position #7:

84 yds

You can see how many interesting shots are available to a player. Hopefully, my short game improves in ’09!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I never realized how much fun having friends over to compete would be. I’ll be hosting the ’09 Invitational in the next week… it promises to be a great event. I have the greens rolling at 11 but they still hold shots great!! Check out the new playability video that will be added to the Shootout at Chris DiMarco’s with Fulton Allem winning. These greens enable Harmony Links Golf to offer “The Next Generation Course.” www.harmonylinksgolf.com .

Welcome to Harmony Pointe Green’s blog. Our goal with this blog is to discuss current trends and issues that customers and synthetic turf vendors face in today’s market. In order to do that, lets first look at what Harmony Pointe is, how it translated into Harmony Pointe Greens, and why that matters to prospects looking at installing a golf short game complex, putting green, playground or other turf solution.

Harmony Pointe; The Marsh Course
Harmony Pointe was a vision almost 3 years ago when I was looking at the 5 waterfront lots I was planning to purchase just off the Gulf of Mexico in Central FL. The house and pool were on 2 of the lots and the western 3 lots were not able to be built upon due to their proximity to adjacent wetlands. I realized that the key to improving their usability and return on investment (ROI) was key to enjoying the property more, and ensuring a higher profit and should I ever sell the property. At the same time, my short game was falling through the floor with bottom of the swing issues. I began to think about how I could turn those 3 lots into a scenic golf complex for a practice facility.

At Harmony Pointe there are 9 tee locations to 2 greens with 9 hole locations (6 on the 2200 sq ft green and 3 on the 520 sq ft green). This provides an interesting alternative for every hole. Each tee brings a different degree of difficulty to each hole location especially with changing winds. Shots are available from chips to bunker shots, all the way up to 93 yards. Each green at Harmony Pointe is surrounded by wetlands and water. It took 7 months to permit these with the DEP and the County. Coupled with the ever-present sea breeze and 2 sand traps it makes for a challenging game.

Short Game / Par 3 Complexes
The concept that resonated the best was a short game, or Par 3 complex. My definition of that is multiple greens with multiple cup locations that accept shots from multiple tees. This is slightly different than a par 3 golf course in which there is a defined “next hole. A “complex” can be more clustered, using less space than a course, a key for many of us. By changing the pin based on the next tee you are going to hit from, you change the look, degree of difficulty and bring different hazards into play
There are 4 key components of a successful implementation of this concept:
1. The relationship of the tees to the greens, the slopes within the green and the associated cup locations:
These are intertwined whether you are implementing a backyard putting green with fringe to chip from or a “Complex.” In my travels around the state to look at synthetic turf greens during 2007, I found that in most every instance, the poor design in the relationship of these components limited the playability of the green due to poor planning and therefore lessened the user experience. At a minimum, they were less interesting than they could have been.

2. Playability:
The green couldn’t accept and hold a shot due to the dimension of the green vs the distance from the tee and where the cups were located. Sometimes this was as a result of the choice of putting surface (turf, in-fill etc) and sometimes this was poor design. This can be resolved with the use of a golf course designer / builder such as Barbaron (http://www.barbaron.com/) . “Design by Barbaron” is used for Harmony Pointe golf facilities from backyard putting greens to short game / Par 3 complexes.

o When putting, the ball sometimes rolled completely off the green uncontrollably. This again, goes back to design, choice of turf manufacturers and sometimes, maintenance.

o “Oscillation:” In the synthetic green industry, oscillation is a term that is used to describe what happens when a ball is putted and as it slows, it randomly wanders, with no rhyme or reason. When it is putted again from the same spot with the same speed, it wanders in a completely different direction. For golfers who are working on their short game and want to host competitions with family and friends, or just practice seriously, this is unacceptable. I found SofTrak greens to be far and away the best for a true roll. CLICK HERE for more information on the SofTrak System and why it provides the truest roll. Or better yet, visit one of our green installations to experience it yourself.

3. Material: The choice of the putting surface, infill and top dressing had a significant impact on the performance as well. The choices between nylon, polyethylene and polypropylene are important as nylon will not accept shots from off the green in a realistic fashion. Polypropylene materials will hold shots whether they are pitch shots or full shots. SofTrak Greens have a unique turf, sand in-fill and top dressing and I found them to be the best. CLICK HERE for more information on the SofTrak System and why it provides the truest roll.
However, regardless of anyone’s claim, it is always better to experience it in person.

4. Use of Space; This concept is a key even in the implementation of a backyard putting green. By evaluating the space, angles and risk from shots that are skulled (I know about these :>) ) you can maximize your playable space and have many more interesting shot opportunities even from the fringe.

Why Do I Care About All of This?
If you are thinking of a backyard putting green or think you have the space/budget to have a short game complex, there are several differentiators that the Harmony Pointe Methodology can provide for you. We exclusively use SofTrak Greens for our customers.
1. We listen to your goals so we Understand.
2. We Define and design your vision through a scaled diagram from Barbaron.
3. We Refine that vision together through revisions of the diagram.
4. We Agree on what you want, based upon the design revisions; it becomes part of our agreement. This is important to set both our expectations.
5. We Deliver on our agreement.

The Value of Design in Any Golf Facility

A proper and well thought out design of any golf complex, whether it be an 18 hole championship course or a simple practice facility is very critical in the financial success of any project. After all, it comes down to the conceived value that the ultimate customer receives as to whether he or she will enjoy the experience and spread the word.

With a degree in landscape architecture and having practiced that discipline, along with master planning and golf course architecture, and having been involved with the planning and construction of many great golf projects, both large and small, over the years, the one element that I have learned and remains a constant is that a well thought out design process is critical to the success of any project. One of the key elements to the success of any project is that it fits into its surrounding environment. The balance of great design and aesthetic appeal goes hand in hand. Only the best facilities have both.

I would like to discuss two particular projects of many that I have been involved with over the years, one large scale and one small scale, and discuss the importance of the design process.

I was fortunate enough to be involved with the design and management of a project called Black Diamond Ranch in West Central Florida. I was given the task by the owner of the property to convert over 1,200 acres of rolling shrub oak and sand hills that contain a pair of active limestone quarries into a high end, low density residential golf and country club community. Once topographic information was obtained we developed a master plan and put a great thought into recreating those harsh quarries into one of the key features of the site. The ultimate design decision was to create golf holes around the quarry. In master planning the property I worked closely with the Fazio Organization to achieve a balance of great golf and aesthetic appeal for the property. Every facet in the design process was explored. Large corridors were granted for the golf holes so that the golf experience would not be compromised. The layout of the entrance to the community was designed to take in the view of the now spectacular quarries along with the design of a beautiful streetscape, a hilltop clubhouse with magnificent views and the planting of thousands of Oaks, Magnolias and Azaleas. The property was quickly recognized as one of the top residential communities in the country and it’s Quarry Course in the top 100 courses. Thus success and value was achieved with great design and aesthetic appeal.

The same philosophy holds true on a smaller scale with the design of the “Marsh Course” a synthetic turf Par 3 course at the Hartson residence located on the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Hartson had three of his 5 lots that were unusable for building homes and thus he decided to build a short game complex to enjoy and improve his golf game as well as increase the value of his property. The design approach to the layout of the complex was to make sure first that the design quality of the greens and synthetic materials used would reflect as closely as possible the experience of a real grass green to ultimate help him improve his short game; secondly, that the setting would be aesthetically appealing and fit into the sensitive environment that surrounds his property; and thirdly that the greens would be properly built to stand up to the tidal and storm surges that are a regular occurrence.

Thus a Par 3 course was planned and laid out with two greens that have multi-able pin locations and a variety of teeing locations to give a range of shots from 15 to 93 yards.

Let’s discuss the design approach, and walk though the thought process of how the course design evolved. Mr. Hartson had already had an Environmental Engineer survey the site to determine the areas (uplands) where the greens could be placed. It was determined that there were two locations that could be used and it was decided that these two locations would be where the greens would fit best. The next decision was to locate the teeing area. His entrance drive and garden area provide numerous opportunities for these locations. Once the tee locations where determined the next step was to get into the detail of designing the greens and the placement of bunker. The greens needed to be elevated and protected to preserve them from storm surge conditions, so concrete retaining walls were built to support the greens. This element turned into a spectacular aesthetic feature because it made the greens appear that they are floating in the sea of sawgrass from the view entering his property.

The next element of the design was to insure the green when laid out to receive the shots from the various tee locations and bunkers. Contouring of an artificial green is very much like a regular golf green only at a much reduced scale. The greens were designed to maintain a one to one and a half percentage slope for good putting surfaces. Slopes, backdrops and soft berming areas were also calculated to insure good reception of wedge shots from the various teeing ground and chipping locations. The various pin placements were then assigned to create an array of putts and wedge shot alternatives. The final touch to the property was the recreation of the marshland area that had been slightly disturbed (with permission from DEP and county) during the construction. When said and done the new greens fit into the already beautiful aesthetic setting that surrounded Mr. Hartson’s home.

The goal that he set out to accomplish was to create a great short game area that he and his friends could enjoy and progress in pursuit of perfecting their short game. The fact that the complex was well thought out and designed properly has added tremendous value to his properties.

I have witnessed a number of artificial putting green installations over the years and am amazed on how little thought is put into the design and functionality of the area. If someone is going to invest thousands of dollars in the installation of a green the very least one should expect is that it will provide a good practice experience, be aesthetically appealing, and help increase the value of one’s property and home setting. Additionally, being part of the design process and knowing what will be delivered is essential.

So if you have a portion of your property that is under utilized and you are looking to improve your golf game, a short course or practice facility could be the answer to help increase the value of your property.

Visit with Chris DiMarco

Chris DiMarco is the newest PGA tour professional to endorse SofTrak Greens. His greens were designed by Harmony Pointe’s design partner, Barbaron’s Terry LaGree and installed by the SofTrak Team, including Harmony Pointe Greens, the authorized SofTrak distributor in Central and NE Florida.

Recently, I had the privilege to visit with Chris DiMarco at his residence when we had scheduled a photo shoot on his new SofTrak greens and surprisingly, he invited me to be a guest on his XM Radio show, “oPINionated” on the PGA Network, channel 146. You can see the pictures from that shoot by clicking here. We are grateful for the opportunity for a photo session and Chris’ invitation to be a guest on his show.

Chris DiMarco and Jeff Hartson

Personal Golf Complexes

Chris’ greens are set up in a Personal Golf Complex setting. As I have referred to before in this blog, a Personal Golf Complex is defined as multiple tees accessing multiple greens which have multiple pin locations. By changing a pin location, you can have a completely different look to a hole which brings different hazards into play or maybe you simply “short-side” yourself on purpose.

Chris’ greens have interesting slopes to them which will allow him to practice fast, challenging putts with significant break to them. He mentioned he wanted this when Harmony Pointe’s partner, Barbaron, was designing his greens. As usual, we went through multiple revisions together in the design process liaising with Steve White, President, SofTrak Greens, who added his experience in design and led the construction of the greens.

Portable Tee Mats

A personal golf complex can have many additional holes and looks by using portable tees. By placing these portable tees on a solid base, you can hit from a driveway, or a pool deck or a dock, over water to provide very unique holes. Chris has the ability to hit from his pool deck which is elevated from the greens and gives a higher degree of difficulty to hit certain pin locations. In this case, the holes have become longer as well with shots from the pool deck. This is an interesting way to add interest to your putting green as well.

Chris has been a pleasure to work with and we look forward to maintaining his greens in the future. We believe he will be a winner on tour again very soon. I noticed he shot 65 today in the 3rd round of the Invitational at Colonial, following a 69 yesterday. Should be great to watch him in the next few months!

After becoming a green owner and talking with many prospects about their greens, it seems like a good time to address a few issues that consistently seem to get “glossed over” and share some things that rarely get discussed. There are both negatives that are essential to understand and some positives one might not expect.

Myth #1: “Synthetic golf greens are zero maintenance”

This simply isn’t true unless you don’t care about the best roll you can have. If I’m planning to have friends over for a little match at Harmony Pointe, The Marsh Course, you better believe with greens that are 5 months old, I’m going to roll them before the match because I’m hitting a lot of practice shots into the greens in my practice regimen. Of course I want my greens to be great when friends come over so they have a great experience too.

When shots land in the early months of the green’s life, they will kick infill up. I am hitting a lot of shots into the greens to work on ¾ shots, ½ shots, short pitches, sand shots etc (5 yds – 93 yds). If I’m practicing hitting “buried lies” from the bunker, I will need to brush where the sand lands from the trap. This takes no time but it will likely be a good thing to roll that part of the green afterwards. It is really just a matter of what I am going to do next on the green. Once the greens mature, these shots won’t kick up in-fill and affect the roll but initially it can while the in-fill settles in.

If you are only putting and not pitching or chipping, your required maintenance is less however, in order to speed your greens up in the first few months rolling will be important to manipulate the fibers to lay down. It only takes about 20 minutes to roll my 2200 sq ft green, much less for the 520 sq ft green. Some vendors have greens with fibers that lay down almost immediately but those greens seem to have trouble getting the fibers to stand back up when you want to slow the green down. Eventually, most all greens will be quite fast…if you have slopes on your greens, which create interest, your green can become un-puttable if you can’t get the fibers to stand back up.

Reality #1: Plan on actively maintaining your greens if:

You are practicing or playing often on them

Trees are nearby as leaves will be a factor.

Your greens are “young.”

Brushing with a special broom slows them down and softens the fiber

Rolling speeds them up and smoothes them out. This can be with a 250 lb or 400 lb water-filled roller. Eventually you won’t need to do much of this.

You are hosting friends and you want the best scenario for performance

There is a lot of traffic on them

Myth #2: “Don’t worry about drainage”

I almost always hear prospects say “I talked to another vendor and they said don’t worry about drainage.” This is not usually the case.

Reality #2: Water needs to be moved off the surface on golf courses and the same is true on synthetic greens. It can cause many problems if not addressed up front such as water on the green causing mildew, water standing next to your house, standing in your sand traps etc. While synthetic turf is pervious, it may be slower than your current yard surface. Be sure to make this part of your checklist.

Having my expectations set properly is a big deal to me when I’m a consumer. Therefore, it is essential for us to do the same thing for our customers.

Reality #3: Here’s what will happen when you have a green installed:

Sod cutters for removal of organic materials will likely arrive. The material is placed in dumpsters or some other removal vehicle.

Dump trucks pull up to your house. There are piles of lime rock used to form the base layer and the “screenings/fines layer for your greens. There is a temporarily dust, noise and debris.

the trucks must be instructed not to back into your driveway unless there is confidence they won’t crack the concrete.

Ideally, you will have available access to your green area for front-end loaders, a 1 ton roller and power brooms in your yard to build your green. The alternative is a more time-consuming manual process using wheel barrows and other manual tools that will enable your project. Again, having your expectations set up-front is important.

Myth #4: “Our company has installed hundreds of greens”

Who installed them?

The same people who will install your greens?

Will you get an idea of what your green is going to look like before you buy it?

What are the credentials of the person who is actually designing your green if there is one?

Is it a golf course architect or an installer?

Will you get multiple revisions until you agree on it together?

Is it a big name design company with a junior architect?

What is it going to look like?

What are the slopes going to be like?

Are you maximizing available space in your yard?

Reality #4: You should know what you are getting ahead of time…period.

Have a green design provided to you by your vendor as you are deciding who to choose...certainly before you commit to move forward. Understand who did it, what the drainage factors and slopes are and what it will look like. Gain agreement on what you are getting.

Harmony Pointe Greens will have a green designed for you by a well known golf course architect, Terry LaGree of Barbaron (www.barbaron.com). It will be revised together with you and become part of our agreement. You know what you are getting; we know what we are delivering. Ask yourself, can I utilize multiple tees or even portable tees to give multiple access points to the greens and maximize the available space.

Maybe most importantly…you must see the way the ball rolls on other greens like the one you will buy. Ideally, you will putt on them. At the end of the day, that is what we really care about from an enjoyment perspective right? I’ve seen balls roll off greens when they never should have due to bad design or greens that couldn’t be slowed down because the fiber isn’t soft enough. I’ve seen many greens that have “oscillation” or as some people refer to it, “snaking.” The ball randomly wanders at the end of the putt and doesn’t repeat that consistently the next time you make the same putt. This is truly one of the advantages for SofTrak. This isn’t an ad, it is reality. If you are competing with friends, improving your game, do you want putts that wander? It will kill the excitement you can have...and your improvement.

Reality #5: The social aspect of family as well as friends competing and playing on your greens!

When conceptualizing Harmony Pointe, I simply didn’t realize what fun it could be to have a tournament with my friends at my home. Recently, I had an event during Master’s Sunday and afterwards we had a little shootout. Since shots into the greens at Harmony Pointe are fronted and backed by water and they are elevated 3 feet to protect them from storm surge it is a binary event on hitting greens…much like TPC Sawgrass # 17. It is really fun to have sea breezes challenging you as you try to hit the greens. If the competition is a medal event, you are never out of it. There are significant comments from my friends to the person teeing off to “help” them. It is challenging, exciting and feels just like the competition at the golf course.

Family time on your green is invaluable. Many parents talk about the thrill of having their children have a practice area at home just as Phil Mickelson did when he was growing up. Being able to practice or having your family practice so you can compete better is terrific. I can step out the back door and have 20 minutes of practice for bunker play, pitch shots or putting several times a day. It’s great to warm up on my greens before going to play. Practice like that changes the way you play golf. These greens can be such an amazing part of your life, increase the value of your property and improve your golf game.

To summarize, putting greens are very exciting and can maximize the enjoyment of your backyard or property. However, it is important to have your expectations set properly and have an understanding of the process that will occur to build your green. By doing your homework you will be much happier. Let us know if we can help.